Archive for August 2023
Inside a wet giga-machine
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was visiting Carrie Furnace, here in the Pittsburgh exurb of Swissvale, when the vault of the sky burst open and it began pissing down with heavy rain. I made my way over to an enormous mechanical structure which offered some cover and did my thing there.
They have one of the old locomotives which brought coal and coke to the mill on display.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This mega machine was how the steel people unloaded the fuel carried in by the locomotive. It was dropped into hoppers which then transported it to where it was needed, and this giga mechanism was how they did that. The whole thing is rusted out, decaying, and was soaking wet. I picked my way along it carefully, avoiding the areas demarcated by yellow chains which the Carrie Furnace people had forbidden.
You are required to wear a hard hat on-site. Couple that with my two bags that were loaded up with about 25 pounds of various tools, the umbrella, and managing the camera and tripod – I was constantly adjusting straps and leashes and belts.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I spent the interval of the heaviest downpour amongst the giga-machine’s innards. Shelter from the storm allowed me to fold up the umbrella for a spell and leave it sitting on the ground. There’s an earthen berm on the south side of the Carrie Furnace site, which is heavily wooded. On the other side of that is another set of rail tracks and the Monongahela River. On the opposite side of the river is the Homestead Pump House.
Of interest to some, my backpack these days is a very waterproof Patagonia brand bag. Everything within was dry as toast. As is my habit, a sling bag was hanging off one shoulder onto my hip, used for the stuff I need at arms reach when shooting. The sling bag is fabric, and it got quite moist.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one looks out of the mechanism towards the actual ruins of the #6 & #7 furnaces. The rain was attenuating, and somewhere above the clouds the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself was descending behind Ohio somewhere. The sunset was meant to happen sometime around 8:30-8:45 this particular evening (July 30).
I reclaimed the umbrella and zipped up my sling bag.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last shot from within the mechanism, and a plan was hatched to scuttle across the muddy site in a manner which would offer the most ‘rain shadow’ protection form the inclement circumstance.
After all these years, I have all sorts of tricks I use to stay somewhat dry. Rain shadows are amongst them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I headed over to a concrete structure which had still had a roof on it.
A quick check of the lens revealed that it had suffered only a few droplets of rain, which were quickly wiped away. I was just getting started, after all. I had three hours on site and I planned to use every second of them.
More tomorrow…
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
All wet at Carrie Furnace
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Carrie Furnace and the ‘Rivers Of Steel’ outfit, which and whom I’ve mentioned before, were offering a ‘photo safari’ event at sunset on a recent evening and a humble narrator could not resist the opportunity to be there. For a brief history of, and shots of what I saw the first time I visited the site (in the early afternoon) check out: part one, part two, part three, part four.
I had been looking forward to this one, and telling people that because of my interest in the experience I was expecting a ‘Blizznado’ or some other crazy meteorological event to cancel it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Four easy words to learn and repeat are: Mitch is always right.
A thunderstorm front was offered for consideration by the TV weather people, one which was scheduled to hit Pittsburgh at exactly the interval of time which the photo safari was scheduled for.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just before the rain hit, a CSX train set hurtling across a trackway on the other side of Carrie Furnace’s fencelines.
It wasn’t a lightning maker, this storm, instead it was cold front pushing through after a week long siege of high 80’s temperatures coupled with extremely high humidity. Sigh… you work with what you’ve got.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just after the Carrie people gave us the safety talk and a set of rules for being on their property, the sky opened up and it began to rain cats and dogs. That would describe the experience for about the next two hours.
A humble narrator is an old hand at getting caught out in the weather, and my fancy little umbrella was thereby deployed. One made it a point of spotting and seeking out ‘rain shadows’ offered by the ruins.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The weather situation was something I was aware of before I arrived, and I had thought out what I’d be focusing on accordingly.
That’s a ‘Torpedo Car’ which the Carrie people have on display, and the flooding around it was actually a blessing. I used the tripod and set the camera to no higher than knee level for this one. Low and slow.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The storm intensified, and the rain was absolutely cascading out of the atmosphere. I had a full kit with me, and a couple of new toys were in my bag which I didn’t get to use because of the precipitation. Notably a very bright strip of LED lights which are powered by a USB connection, and a power bank battery unit for them to connect to. I didn’t trust either of them to withstand a soaking rain so I kept them in my bag.
Over the next few days, I’ll show you how another one of my new toys performed. Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Curvilinear footpaths
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There was an public event scheduled for the evening, at a sports ball stadium occupied by the Pittsburgh River Hounds soccer team, so there were scores of their fans gathered in the parking facilities of that institution. Many of them were tailgating, and the BBQ smelled pretty enticing as I exited the pedestrian/bike path of the Fort Pitt bridge onto the enigmatically named ‘West Carson Street.’ This is a wide and fairly high speed local arterial street, one which stitches several important bits of transit infrastructure together. The West End Bridge and a primary arterial road called Saw Mill Run Blvd. are to the west, the funicular inclines and Fort Pitt Bridge in the midst, and the T’s ‘Station Square’ light rail junction as well as the Liberty Bridge and tunnels are found along its length. After crossing under the T’s Panhandle Bridge approach ramps, this via publica becomes East Carson Street, which leads into what’s essentially a nightlife district. Lots of stuff along its path, many of which are interesting to one such as myself.
Ain’t exactly pedestrian friendly though, West Carson, and although I normally cross this interval on the parallel rail trail found along the waterfront, one figured on daring the sidewalk (or scare walk). Kind of a weird place to scuttle, I’d offer, but you never know how something tastes until you try a bite of it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The goal for this scuttle, beyond scouting with the camera and learning the foot paths, was to get in some exercise. My goal for a longish walk like this one is to hit about 10,000 steps, which I did. I can actually walk 5-6 miles, which is more or less what those steps equate to, standing on my head. Lately, I’ve started incorporating the altitudinal side of Pittsburgh into the calculation, so my phone’s health app told me that I had also walked something like 12 flights of steps as well. Cardio, lords and ladies, cardio.
Saying that, I was fashvitzed by this point, and just wanted to get back to HQ for a shower. I negotiated my way back to the T station, at Station Square, and waited for my chariot to arrive.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Based on the frequent mentions offered about the service, you’ve probably guessed that I’m a fan. One of the factors which made Our Lady of the Pentacle and I choose Pittsburgh as a home base, and Dormont in particular, was the availability of mass transit. I like having the car available, mind you, but I also like leaving it at home and scuttling about on foot. I still haven’t taken a bus anywhere.
Back tomorrow with something I’d been looking forward to shooting for a couple of months.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Point Scuttling
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One is still learning his way around Pittsburgh, and after a bit of a scouting mission to the metro area’s ‘North Side,’ a scuttle back to the south side of the City was enacted. The Allegheny River was crossed, and my ultimate destination at the T light rail station was on the other side of the Monongahela River.
I leaned into it, and actuated the camera along the way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m starting to notice the little things. The minutia as opposed to the grandiose. I like the downtown area for these walks, as it’s relatively flat. The more elevated and hilly areas require a bit more planning, which tends to reduce the serendipity that is preferred. If you leave a car ‘up there,’ you need to get back to it somehow from ‘down here.’ It’s a pickle.
Downtown, you can just sort of follow your toes, and go wherever they happen to be pointing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There are very few places back in NYC which could be defined as being ‘alleys,’ but Pittsburgh is full of them. This is a legitimate vehicle lane, I would mention, and periodically I’ve found myself driving through these narrow byways to get here and there. I think they’re legit, I should mention, as Google maps has directed me through them. Of course, the same application has sent me all over hill and dale in a haphazard fashion here in the greater Pittsburgh area, so…
Onward and… well, I mostly stay at whatever altitude I’m at, so… Onward and across?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was heading for a crossing of the Monongahela River which I hadn’t used since the winter, the Fort Pitt Bridge. Along the way, and I think they call this area ‘The Cultural District,’ I remarked to myself about how many sky bridges there were here and wondered if they’re counted when discussing Pittsburgh’s many bridges.
One was also looking over his shoulder a bit in this area, as it’s one of the spots where the local drug enthusiasts gather. Debased, the local junkies form a fairly pathetic and predictable population. I’m basically the only person you see waving a camera around, so the junkies tend to lock their lizard brain onto me as I’m walking by. So far so good, and I know how to handle that sort of thing from my long years of scuttling about in distaff sections of New York, but it’s best to,pay attention to your surroundings in this zone.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I made it to Point State Park, where Pittsburgh’s famous convergence of the 3 rivers occurs. There’s a mega fountain there, one which I’ve recently learned is fed by a fourth river, an underground aquifer.
As is always the case, hundreds and hundreds of people were in the park. Pittsburgh is a bit of a tourist draw for the regional vicinity with its Casino, and Sportsball Stadiums. They’re not pulling European package holiday tourism here, but there’s a not insignificant economy built around people visiting from out of town locales in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and other neighboring states.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I finally made it to the Fort Pitt bridge and scuttled up onto the pedestrian/bike pathway. The last time I walked this path, it was early February and the pathway was a skating rink. This time around, I had to cant my funny little $12 Costco fishing hat to one side in order to provide myself with as much shade as possible.
Back tomorrow with the end of this journey, which began on Pittsburgh’s North Side when I was scouting for a set of train tracks.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Scuttling on the North Side of Pittsburgh
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the northern bank of the Allegheny River, here in Pittsburgh, there’s an area called the ‘North Side.’ There’s lots of individual neighborhoods found within the region, but this section of the greater metro area used to be an independent municipality called “Allegheny City” which Pittsburgh annexed at the start of the 20th century. Further up the river is where the Heinz Factory was, and the ‘zone’ I was in for this post was the one that touches the ‘Mexican War Streets.’ The spot which I was specifically in has the National Aviary as its landmark, with said institution sitting in the middle of the very nice Allegheny Commons Park.
I’ve mentioned the many, many diagnostic medical tests which a humble narrator has endured in recent months. Our Lady of the Pentacle has also been getting probed and pinched and irradiated, and on a recent morning while she was enjoying just such a procedure, I needed somewhere to take Moe the Dog. We ended up in this park, which is somewhat nearby the hospital, while waiting for Our Lady to be done. I made a mental note to come back on foot without Moe, and that’s why I was there on this particular day. Scouting!
You’re all caught up now.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve been looking for a spot to observe these rail tracks, cut into a trench through the park, for a while. While Moe was chasing down a squirrel, the little dog led me right here. There’s a swell ‘autumn’ shot to be gathered here, with the black Norfolk Southern locomotives moving through the trench. The trees planted along the fence are Gingkos, I’m told, whose leaves turn a bright golden yellow during fall. You’ve got your black train and your gold leaves – which are not just Steelers colors but in fact are the heraldic colors of Pittsburgh.
On this particular afternoon, a humble narrator wasn’t trying to get all ‘artsy fartsy,’ instead I was walking quickly and observing the state of the neighborhood ‘milieu.’ North Side has an insalubrious ‘reputation’ according to the ‘born n bred’ Pittsburghers, but to my eyes… Heck. East New York and Far Rockaway are my delimiters for danger, so my perception of things is a bit different than that of the locals, I think, due to the experience of having lived in “Home Sweet Hell” my whole life.
Walk around Industrial Maspeth at night during a pandemic, I’d offer, if you want actual scary.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The purpose of this adventure was to get some exercise and fix a geospatial awareness of those rail tracks in the old noggin, and to also work out how to get to this area using the T light rail rather than driving here. This section of Pittsburgh reminds me of several spots in Brooklyn and Queens, especially their scarcity of street parking.
One leaned into it and started heading southwards.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This may look pretty desolate, but the land under these expressway ramps is a parking lot about two blocks away from the sports ball stadium which the Pirates baseball team plays in. On game days, this lot would be brimming with tail gate BBQ’s and hundreds if not thousands of people and their vehicles.
The rest of my day’s plan involved the other side of Pittsburgh, and I’d need to cross two rivers on foot to get there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m told that the modernist building in the shot above is the HQ of the ALCOA aluminum outfit. That river is the Allegheny, with downtown Pittsburgh looming up behind and to the south of it.
It was a warm but lovely day in Pittsburgh, with a decent breeze and temperatures in the middle 80’s. It was fairly humid, however.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There are three fairly identical bridges found here, called the ‘Three Sisters.’ The one pictured above is the Rachel Carson Bridge, named for the author of the seminal environmentalist book “Silent Spring.”
Back next week with more from the Paris of Appalachia.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 